A restoration of the Roman Colosseum’s southern piazza has been completed after four years of construction. The project, led by Stefano Boeri Interiors, has recreated the travertine-paved pedestrian plaza outside the amphitheater’s southern façade, where spectators once waited to enter the arena.

With a history spanning from gladiator battles to Christian sanctuary and later as a quarry for construction projects like St. Peter’s Basilica, the Colosseum remains one of the engineering marvels of the world. Built between 70 and 80 CE, it could seat 50,000 or more people and was completely freestanding, supported by a complex vault system.

The most famous use of the arena was for gladiator games, where enslaved people or prisoners of war fought each other or wild animals to the death. It also presented public executions and mock naval battles, which required the amphitheater to be filled with water. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the Colosseum’s southern facade featured a two-story arcade with columns more than 160 feet in height.

Rather than rebuild the façade, the architect and his team have indicated its original columns’ placement using plinths of the same stone as used in the piazza. Boeri stated that this has restored the perception of the monument's original size and floor level, offering the public a closer approach to its walls.